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The Baklava Club    by Jason Goodwin Amazon.com order for
Baklava Club
by Jason Goodwin
Order:  USA  Can
Picador, 2015 (2014)
Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Barbara Lingens

Istanbul in the late 19th century is a haven for all sorts of European exiles, and our favorite detective, Yashim, has his hands full with them in this last of five novels set in this locale. First, there are the three Italians, one of them with a beautiful Danish wife. Then there is the daughter of a Russian exiled to Siberia.

Yashim's favorite foreigner is Palewski, the Polish ambassador, who is excited at yet another foreigner about to arrive, a Polish prince. When he goes to meet the prince he is shot and the prince disappears, and so begins Yashim's investigation. Along the way, we meet some very interesting Turkish characters, partake (vicariously, of course) of wonderful food prepared by Yashim himself and learn some very surprising things about the detective.

At the end the plot is a bit difficult to unravel because things happen so very quickly, but that is not going to keep anyone from wanting to read Jason Goodwin's other four novels. He has done a wonderful job in letting us soak up Istanbul's atmosphere at this time.

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